Asheville BBQ has Obama and me in opposite corners

I don't mean to get into politics, but one of the big controversies when I visited Asheville, N.C., last month was whether President Obama was a true fan of 12 Bones Smokehouse, a spectacularly good BBQ place in that city's River Arts District. Last year, when he vacationed in Asheville, the president went straight from the airport to 12 Bones for a rib lunch. When he returned on a political swing in early October, though, he bypassed 12 Bones. So is he really a fan, people are asking, or was he just being trendy last year?

My opinion: He didn't want to stand in the line that stretched out the front door and across the gravel lot, like he did last time.

But the president and I are on opposite sides of this issue. He went for the ribs, while I'm partial to their pulled pork sandwich with a DIY combo of their sweet-tangy red sauce and sharp mustard sauce. What's more, he reportedly bypassed the smoked potato salad, which is so delicious that I'm about to throw hickory chips on the Weber and slow-smoke some red potatoes in a blatant attempt to plagiarize 12 Bones' recipe.

I did bring home a souvenir from my lunch at 12 Bones last month -- a bottle of their blueberry chipotle sauce for ribs. If the president comes asking around asking for it, he'll have to fight me for it.